Child of Mine
by SilentLibrettist
Summary: When one wakes up from an afternoon nap, they don't expect to be entrusted with the care of a toddler as they learn to get along in a revolution against a powerful dictator. Learning to take everything in stride is something Eve has to master, for Shadow.
1. Chapter 1

**So I've decided to just upload all the stories that I have written in my long absense to give everyone something to read. They won't be uploaded as frequently as the stories I had up before, since I'll be focusing on those for a while.**

**I do hope everyone likes all my stories, and review help a lot with inspiration.**

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><p>I slowly woke up, yawning as I stretched out my stiff joints. My eyes traveled over the living room. The sofa was overstuffed and a dark brown, and had a dark red blanket folded up on the armrest. The chair was similar, overstuffed and just a shade lighter, with my favorite white shawl draped over it. The TV was set up against the opposite wall; the only attachments a DVD player and a Wii. There was a thick shag rug in the middle of the floor, looking more fit for sleeping on than for decoration.<p>

"And that's exactly what I use it for." I mumbled to myself, getting up off the rug in order to make my way towards the kitchen. The wall changed from chocolate brown to sterile white as I made my way over to the fridge. I looked into the fridge, finding nothing but a quarter gallon of-now expired-milk and some meat. At least I think it's meat...

"I should go grocery shopping soon." I said aloud, closing the fridge door after one last suspicious look at the meat-thing. I looked around for something to entertain myself with before doing so, as the nearest store didn't open until 4:30. My eyes landed for a moment on my book bag, but I quickly looked away. Homework wasn't started until 5, at least.

"Hmm..." I hummed, running my hand through my short hair. It caught a snag; making me realize that I hadn't brushed it before rushing off to school late. "Well, that's something." I said, walking off to find a hair brush and a mirror.

After locating a brush, I stood in front of my bathroom mirror, brushing through my knotted hair. It went easily enough; the red hair was extremely short. It was basically a boy cut; the longest was barely five inches. The right side of my face didn't really have bangs, just hair that got longer as you got closer to the side of my face. My left bangs were much more prominent; it was simply a long chunk of hair that nearly covered my eye and reached down to my chin.

After brushing my hair, I carefully examined it for flaws with my silver-black eyes. I finally walked back into the living room and plopped down on the couch. I sighed heavily; it was only 3:30, and I had nothing to do.

A knock at my door distracted me from my boredom. I got up quickly, jumping at any chance to stave off the boredom until the store opened. It was only when I opened the door that I realized who it could be.

"Son of a-" I exclaimed, not allowing myself to finish before I slammed the door close as fast as I could. A foot shoved itself into the space just before the door could close, making it impossible to shut the intruder out.

"Hey, babe." Said a sleazy voice. The foot kicked the door open, making the door slam against the wall.

'_It's a good thing I had that rubber stopper put on the wall.'_ I thought, eyeing in disdain the unwelcome person currently ruining my afternoon.

"I'm not your 'babe', Jack." I said disgustedly, hoping that my obvious lack of interest would give him a clue. Of course, he didn't so much as blink at this; it only made him step closer.

"You know you want me, Eve." He said, grinning slimily as he leaned in towards me. I grimaced at the smell of his breath.

"No," I said firmly, elbowing him out of the front door. "I don't!"

I had grabbed the handle and was just about to close the door on him, when he grabbed my other arm and yanked me outside. The door slammed behind me, automatically locking us out.

"Listen, babe." Jack spoke normally, as if I hadn't just shoved him and tried to lock him out of my house. "I got something the other day-the guy I got it from said it was real interesting." He pulled something out of his pocket with his free hand; the other was still wrapped around my arm, filthy fingernails digging into my skin.

Despite myself, I had to look at the-probably illegally acquired-item that he had. It was a little mechanical remote; similar to one an evil villain might use on an early morning kids show. It only had two buttons, and was pretty cheap-looking as well.

"Wanna go someplace private and find out what it does?" He asked in what I assumed was supposed to be a seductive way, making my gag reflex show itself.

"How much did you spend on it?" I wanted to see if he had paid a lot to get the piece of junk before I humiliated him. He grinned, obviously taking this as a sign of interest.

"Only...a couple grand." He grinned, trying to impress me with his money. I burst into laughter.

"Oh, man!" I forced out between chuckles. "I think you were just ripped off!"

"Waddya mean?" He was now completely confused.

"It looks like a cheap kids toy. Or a garage door opener." I shook my head. "What kind of idiot would spend a few thousand dollars for a piece of junk like this?" I continued to laugh, trying to rile him up enough to get him to let go of my arm.

"Oh yeah?" Jack was now scowling deeply. "I bet it does something really good! Like...open a portal to another world, or somethun'!"

"You are so immature!" I snickered. Of course, the prospect of going to another world was pretty cool, but I would never let him know I thought that. Especially when the object in question was a cheap, two-button remote.

"I'll show ya!" He shouted, yanking me down the street. I yelped, instantly stopping my laughter and beginning to fight against him.

"Hey! Let me go, you jackass!" I didn't normally curse, but I was pretty pissed off. Besides; the insult worked with his name.

He showed no signs that my struggle was affecting him; he just continued to drag me into a long-forgotten alley. I felt my fear rising; I wasn't strong enough to fight off this guy if he decided he wanted to do anything.

He suddenly stopped, making me stumble before I regained my balance. He pulled the remote back out, glowering at me darkly. He proceeded to press one of the buttons in defiance.

Nothing happened. I raised an eyebrow, just barely keeping myself from grinning smugly. He scowled, pressing harder on the other button.

"Well?" I asked, my voice thick with smug sarcasm. Jack began shaking the remote, making the batteries bounce around inside. He stopped after I heard a weird 'click'; signaling that the batteries had fallen into place. He pressed the first button again, with the same result as the first time he tried.

"God dammit!" He screamed. He threw the remote down to the ground, lifting up a foot to crush it with. He was suddenly stopped as a light burst out near the remote, blinding us both and making him release my arm.

I got my sight back first; he was too busy screaming like a little girl and curling into the fetal position to let his eyes adjust.

It was a portal! I shook my head, not wanting to let the sleaze ball on the ground know he was right. So I reached for the remote, hoping to turn it off and tell him that he was imagining things.

However, as I reached for the remote, a wind came from the portal, blowing out and messing with my balance. It stopped for half a second, but before I could regain my balance, the wind started again, in the opposite direction. I was suddenly pulled towards the portal, toppling head over heels into the light.

I groaned, rubbing my head as I forced myself up off the cold ground. I shook my head free of the haze, then rubbed it again as that brought a new wave of pain. I slowly opened my eyes, expecting to see my kitchen walls. I had fallen asleep on the cool kitchen floor before, after all.

I was extremely surprised to see a hazy, polluted sky and cold earth. I stood up, slowly looking around in horrified amazement.

The entire area was gray. Steel and stone took over everything, leaving no place for shrubs or trees to grow. The hazy clouds above choked any life out of the city area.

My head snapped to the side as someone shouted. My eyes locked on a small figure falling from a window close by. I shot forward, running as fast as I could to reach the figure before it slammed on the ground.

Just as I got near it, I twisted my body so that I would land on my back. As the figure slammed into my stomach, my breath was knocked out of me from the momentum. My back hit the ground before I could catch my breath, leaving me stunned.

I blinked slowly as the small figure uncurled, ruby red looking up at me. Small arms clutched at my middle as the red disappeared. I wrapped my arms around the red-eyed figure comfortingly as it started to shake.

"Shadow!" The same voice called from behind me. Now that I wasn't quite as overwhelmed, I could tell that the voice was male. The pain in my back prevented me from turning around, but the person seemed to be running closer to me.

"Oh, thank you ma'am!" The voice said again, now relieved. I saw him run in front of me, blinking in surprise as I saw who he was.

Or rather, what he was. He seemed to have the same reaction when he saw me, stopping dead in his tracks and staring, mouth hanging open.

Long brown locks were tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck, over the collar of a long white lab coat. He had on plain blue jeans from underneath his coat; the rest of it was buttoned up, so I couldn't see his shirt.

However, what really caught my attention were the pointy ears on the top of his head, a shade lighter than his hair. The rest of his body was covered in hair the same colour of his ears, and he had a long, elegant tail that was the same colour as his hair. He had a pure white muzzle, and dark green eyes.

The shape of his ears and tail made me think of a wolf.

"A human!" He suddenly seemed hostile. He took a few steps back, eyes flicking from me to the small form in my lap. "Give Shadow back!" He ordered, taking a stance, as if he expected me to not listen to him, just for spite.

I raised an eyebrow in irritation, wondering how someone could do that to a person who just saved someone's life. I stood up, holding the small child in my arms carefully.

"Listen, bud." I started off, my voice irritated, but not icy. He had probably had some problems with humans before, so I wouldn't go too hard on him. "I'm assuming that you had a problem with a human before, and I won't blame you for disliking him."

"However, you thinking that I'm going to do something just because I'm the same species as someone you met is prejudiced. It's like saying that the first anthro I met was a wolf that hated me in a white lab coat; therefor, I'm going to assume that all wolves will have the same attitude and all wear white lab coats." My rant was coming to an end, so I sharpened my tone up a bit.

"And, considering the fact that I just saved your Shadow's life, I believe you don't have too much reason to so much as be rude to me." I finished.

The wolf was speechless for a few moments. He stared, then suddenly broke out of the trance and looked sheepishly at me.

"I'm sorry for judging you so quickly, and without adequate cause." He apologized. "My name is Raze." He held out hand for me to shake. I instinctively moved the small figure still clinging to my waist up to cradle in my left arm, the other hand going out to shake Raze's.

"Eve." I replied with my own name. "So, does Shadow fall out windows on a regular basis, or did I just get lucky?" I asked jokingly, irritation forgotten instantly. His eyes suddenly went wide, and he pulled me to an alley beside two looming buildings.

I raised an eyebrow at his behavior, but not two seconds later, I heard the humming sound of an engine. I peeked out to see a machine that looked somewhat like a round tank floating in the air. It shined a beam around the area, which I ducked away from, then flew away.

"Sorry for pulling you aside so suddenly; Robotniks swatbot patrol would've seen us if I had taken the time to tell you." Raze explained. I nodded, loosening my hold on the child in my arms.

Suddenly, something clicked in my head. _'Red eyes, Shadow, Robotnik...'_ I looked quickly down at the child, eyes widening as my late realization was proven correct.

He was basically a younger Shadow the hedgehog. He was smaller, his feet and hands a bit too big for his body. His fur was soft and fuzzy, but not so long that it made him look poofy. His quills weren't sharp yet, just a bit poky. His eyes were wide, innocent, and trusting, staring at me in confusion as I looked him over.

"Er, here." I said awkwardly, handing Shadow over to Raze. As soon as the kid left my arms, he began to kick and fuss, squirming in Raze's arms so that he had a hard time holding onto him.

"I think he likes you." Raze quickly handed the kid back over to me. As I cradled Shadow back in my arms, he settled down, one hand clutching at my shirt. Yeesh, this kid was small. He fit perfectly into the crook of my arm.

"Well, he's going to have to go back to his parents sometime." I commented, not looking up from the little Shadow.

"Actually, Shadow's mother died in delivery." Raze said distractedly, ears twitching as he looked around. I sharply glanced up, wondering why he had said that so unconcernedly, when I saw the concentrated look on his face.

Raze's face paled, and he pulled me across the street and into another alley. I gave him a weird look, and was about to ask what the point of that was when he turned to me suddenly.

"How did you get here?" He asked me frantically. I raised an eyebrow, my blank look making him continue. "You appeared out of a blue portal. That's why Shadow was leaning out the window. It's another world, right? How'd you get here?"

"A remote of some-sort." I answered automatically, while wondering how he knew of different worlds.

"Where is it?" He asked, looking out from the side of the alley.

"I don't-" I cut myself off as I felt something in my pocket. I shifted Shadow over to one arm in order to pull it out. I blinked as I saw the remote. "Okay..."

"Is your world safe?" Raze asked as he glanced at the remote.

"Nowhere is 100% safe, but there's nobody trying to take over the world or anything." I answered, still staring at the remote. Raze nodded, then turned back to me.

"Let me see." He said, holding his hand out for the remote. I handed it to him, not suspecting him to do anything.

He pressed the top button, the blue portal opening without fuss this time. As soon as it opened, Raze pushed me towards it.

"Go!" He sounded urgent. I stumbled through the portal just as the air behind me went red.

"HALT, CITIZEN." A robotic voice sounded from through the portal, then it closed, remote on the other side.

I stared in disbelief at the space where the portal was previously, sitting with my hands behind me to support my weight on the ground.

"What the...?" I said intelligently, still staring at the spot. The sound of sniffling snapped me out of my trance, making me glance to the side. The small Shadow was curled up on the ground, me having accidentally tossed him to the side when we fell through the portal. His eyes were filled with tears, but he was still trying his hardest not to actually cry.

"Oops." I muttered to myself, getting up and scooping Shadow into my arms. I rocked him back and forth for a while, waiting as Shadow slowly calmed down. His bright red eyes looked up at me curiously, one hand clutching at my shirt.

"Oh, man." I moaned, pacing back and forth nervously within the alley. "He forgot to grab his kid..."

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><p><strong>Again, reviews are wonderful for inspiration!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Woah, chapter two now! thanks very much to _Tamara the Hybridian_ and _Allie X 'I_ for reviewing!**

**Replies to reviews:**

**_Tamara the Hybridian_: Well, yeah, I kinda had to force Shadow onto Eve(or had Raze do it), 'cause otherwise there would be no way Eve would volunteer to take care of a kid. She has no idea what she's doing, and she knows it, so the only way she'd force a kid to go through that was if she had to.**

**Oh man, the fangirls...0_0 I don't even want to know how that would turn out; in fact, I kind of mentally shied away fromt he prospect...**

**But now that you mention it, I may do a few little parts where Eve and Shadow are swarmed.**

**_Allie X 'I_: *whistles* Whew, that's quite a review! Heh, if Selena's not too busy, could she send me that picture of Shadow ^_^**

**And to Allie; I'm not _quite_ sure what universe I'm going to put them in, so at the moment I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing, exactly. I do think that Shadow will be influenced greatly by Eve, but to what end, I'm just not quite sure.**

**As for the other stories, I believe that I'll be working more on those than these new ones, since everyone has been waiting so long for them. I know that I will finish them, though.**

**As for names, some Spanish C names that I can think of Carlos, Cammron, and Ciro. Don't know if that helps or not! And yes, once you upload your stories I will be happy to review!**

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><p>"Oh, man." I moaned, pacing back and forth nervously within the alley. "He forgot to grab his kid...or maybe he sent him with me on purpose. It doesn't matter; how am I supposed to take care of a kid?"<p>

I stopped my back and forth pacing, instead heading towards my little apartment. I cradled Shadow in such a way that if anyone looked, they would assume I was carrying a stuffed animal.

"In fact, how am I going to take care of a kid and complete high school?" I muttered, walking faster towards my apartment. I jumped up the few steps onto the front porch, reaching for my belt loop that I hung my keys on. As I felt air where my keys usually were, I remembered that I had locked them inside when Jack yanked me outside.

"Shit-zu." I cut myself off, mindful of the young ears listening attentively to me. I placed Shadow on the ground gently, hoping to find an open window. I usually cracked open a window whenever I took a nap on the living room rug, but I couldn't remember if I had today.

"Aha!" I exclaimed, walking over to the one slightly open window. I barely glanced at the screen as I unhooked it from the outside. A bit tricky, but doable. I pushed the window the rest of the way open, seeing the comfortable shag rug below me.

I jogged back over to the front porch to grab Shadow. Before I could get to him, a little black and red cannonball barreled into my leg, nearly knocking me over.

I wrapped my arms around the small projectile, surprised at the sudden glomp attack.

"Whoa! You okay, bud?" I asked, pulling the black hedgehog off of my leg and into my arms. "What happened?"

Shadow buried his little head into my neck, hiding from whatever scared him. I uncertainly stroked his soft fur, not quite sure how to comfort him. I didn't hate kids, but I wasn't really sure how to deal with them.

"Yeesh, little bud." I murmured, rubbing one of his little ears soothingly. "What, did you think I left you?"

He nodded silently. I was surprised; I never saw Shadow as clingy, even as a kid. Well, I guess he had the right to be scared. I mean, who wouldn't be in his situation, especially at his age?

"I won't, okay?" I started, then shifted, realizing that this wasn't enough. "Promise."

The words were short and awkward, but they seemed to have the right affect. Shadow nodded and relaxed into my arms, eyes drooping.

"Nu-uh, kiddo. You can't fall asleep yet." I jostled Shadow lightly, walking back over to the window. I looked down at him, then let out a small chuckle at the annoyed look he was giving me. "Just give me a minute. There are lot's more comfortable things to sleep on than me in my house."

With that, I slowly leaned over the edge of the window, bending as far as I could to softly put Shadow down on the ground off to the side of the window. I pulled myself back out of the window, grabbed the screen, and worked it inside slowly. I reached over again, and placed it on the other side of the window. I glanced back at Shadow to see him watching me closely.

I dropped back down on the ground, took a deep breath, and quickly hauled myself up to the window. My feet scrambled for purchase on the side paneling while I struggled to pull myself up. With one more heave, I fell inside, flipping over over backwards and landing hard on my back and tailbone.

"Owwww..." I groaned, sitting up and rubbing the small of my back. I had just barely missed the carpet. Of course.

A sudden pressure on my face made me look up. I came face to face with Shadow, who had an expression of worry on his face and his hand on my cheek. When I didn't say anything, his eyebrow-ridges?-pulled down, and he whimpered softly.

"Hey, wait, um." I hesitated for a moment, floundering on what had caused this sudden sadness. "What's wrong, little bud?"

"Ouchie." Shadow sniffled softly, pointing at me. I blanked for a moment. Had I hit the kid when I fell off of the window sill?

"No ouchies." Shadow said miserably, placing one small hand on my arm. I looked down at his hand, which was placed as if to comfort me. It suddenly clicked.

"Oh! Oh, no, Shadow. Um, only my...hand hurts now." I quickly thought of an excuse and showed him my right hand, letting it hang limply as I held it up with my other arm. Shadow's hand moved down from my arm to gently pat my hand. I quickly put on an expression of sadness, looking down and frowning at my hand.

"Me kiss 'edder?" Shadow looked up at me with a sympathetic gaze. It took me a few moments to figure out what he asked.

'_Do I want him to kiss it better?'_ I thought, amused and fighting to keep the giggles from escaping my throat. Instead, I looked at him and nodded sadly.

Shadow looked solemnly at me for a second, then brought my hand up to his face and pressed his lips to it.

'_Awwww.'_ I cooed in my head, still desperately hiding the smile.

Shadow looked up at me for a second, and I widened my eyes and looked in shock at my hand.

"It doesn't hurt anymore!" I said in a shocked tone. With this, I finally let the grin split my face and I giggled at my rather awful acting. "Why, thank you, Shadow!"

"All 'edder!" Shadow said happily, then hugged my hand. He smiled up at me, eyes drooping slightly

It was then I noticed that he was swaying slightly where he sat, half asleep.

"Okay, _now_ you can sleep." I said, scooping Shadow into one arm and cradling him against my chest. I walked him over to the couch, and used my free hand to unfold the blanket and make a quick little nest for him.

I put him in the blanket, tucked it up to his chin, and rubbed his ear softly until his eyes closed and his breathing evened out. Sighing, I glanced at the clock to see the time.

Almost 5:20. Well, now's as good as a time as ever to go grocery shopping. I walked up the stairs which led to the only room that was on the second level. It was supposed to be a bedroom, but once I got my dressers, work desk, and clothes in, there was practically no room for a bed. So I diverted my funds for a proper bed and added them to my funds for a couch. I ended up getting the rather comfy couch and chair set in the living room.

Who needs a bed when you have a couch and a comfy floor rug, right?

Smiling at this thought, I opened the door that led to my average-sized closet and pulled out another pair of jeans and a blue T-shirt with black calligraphy covering it. I changed out of the rather filthy clothes I had on, went over to the sink near the windows(don't ask), and scrubbed off most of the dirt that had collected on my skin. I then walked back over to my new outfit and started changing.

I had my pants halfway up my legs when I heard the most heart-breaking crying sound. My brain took half of a second to process this before I was off, tearing open the door and nearly breaking my neck going down the stairs.

I skid into the living room, eyes raking the space for any threats. I made my way over to the couch warily, pulling my pants up the rest of the way as I did so. I came to the couch to see Shadow absolutely bawling his eyes out, tears streaming down his black face.

I was hit with a sudden wave of panic.

'_Oh my god, what do I do?'_ I thought, freaking. _'_This_ is why I never took up babysitting!'_

"Shadow?" I squatted down to be at eye level with the kid. "What happened?"

For a few seconds, his crying stopped as he opened his eyes and stared at me in incredulous shock. We stared at each other, making me extremely uneasy as I wondered what I had done.

Then his crying started up again full force, his eyes open as he reached out to me. I quickly pulled him into my arms, then plopped down on the couch as I tried to sooth him.

"Hey, shhh, it's ok..." I tried a few words, but I was sure they weren't helping as my tone was confused and frantic instead of calm like I was supposed to be.

Instead of trying to talk to him, I simply held him. I tucked him closer to me so that our faces were at the same level. He pressed his face against mine, so close that his tears were now running down my cheek.

Finally, Shadow calmed down enough to stop sobbing. Small sniffles still escaped every few seconds, and his face stayed firmly pressed against my own.

"What happened, little bud?" I asked softly, careful not to dislodge Shadow. Another sniffle responded, and then Shadow peeled his face away from mine. My cheek felt like I had just hair sprayed it, but I ignored the uncomfortable feeling in favor of Shadow.

"Gone." He sniffed. I blinked at him, not comprehending. What was gone? "Was awone."

Shadow then placed a hand on my face, just on the right side of my mouth. He looked up at me, eyes filling with fresh tears.

"Was gone." He said again.

Oh! I had left him for a few minutes to get changed. He must've thought I abandoned him.

"Hey, I promised that I wouldn't leave you, right?" When Shadow nodded, I smiled brightly at him. "Then what's the problem?"

When Shadow smiled happily back at me, I breathed a mental sigh of relief. Thank goodness.

'_Okay, so note to self: Shadow has abandonment issues.'_ I thought, standing up from the couch with Shadow in my arms. _'...why on earth does a,'_ I glanced down at Shadow again. _'two year old kid have abandonment issues?'_

I looked up, glaring at nothing in particular.

'_Oh, there's a special place in hell for people who abuse kids.'_ I thought venomously. What kind of person would just abandon a two year old?

"Would you like to stay with me, Shadow?" I looked down at the hedgie while I spoke. "I can get you a blanket, and if you stay quiet you can sleep right there."

Shadow ears perked at this, and his eyes lit up in happiness. He nodded fiercely. I laughed.

"Alright, lets go get that blanket I promised you." I started towards the stairs, pacing myself so that I could figure out how to smooth out my walk. After going up to the closet and grabbing one of my old baby blankets, I sat down on the bottom step and wrapped Shadow in it.

He fell asleep almost instantly. I giggled quietly, shifting him over to my left arm so that my right one was free.

It took a few minutes to get my list of groceries written down and another ten to find my keys. (Why I even bought that key rack, I have no idea.) Finally, I was standing in the living room, staring at the door and facing a problem.

There was absolutely no way I could go out in public with Shadow. I knew very well what humans usual reaction was to anything that was different than them, and I sure wasn't about to let Shadow go through that.

But I couldn't very well leave him alone again! Whatever he went through in his world, I wouldn't let him go through it again here. I made a promise, dammit, and I was going to keep it.

I sighed, scanning the room as if the solution to my problem would pop out and hit me it the face. As I scanned the room a second time, a flash of white caught my eye.

"Hmmm..." I hummed thoughtfully as I walked over to my shawl. With only one arm and some difficulty, I slipped it on over my head. Looking down where Shadow was, I smirked triumphantly. He was completely hidden.

Alright, time to go get some food!

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><p><strong>Whoo, chapter two finished! Reviews are lovely!<strong>


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